Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Swanage businesses

There seems to be a wish to discuss different aspects of business in Swanage, from the service of shops in the High Street, to the Mowlem, the Railway ...and so on. Here's the place for those discussions.
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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a wide topic. In general I find Swanage businesses to be about as good as in any place of the same size and geographical location, and many better than most. If I have to make one generalisation, it would be the lack of high street chain stores, but these are all in Poole and Bournemouth.



I do miss Woolies, though.

23/5/12 9:16 am
Anonymous said...

Oh great. A subject where spitefull people could ruin a reputation just for the sake of it. Perhaps we could have a open subject on the local councillors/councill and there employees. how would you feel about that postman.

23/5/12 9:35 am
The Postman said...

"Oh great. A subject where spitefull people could ruin a reputation just for the sake of it. Perhaps we could have a open subject on the local councillors/councill and there employees. how would you feel about that postman"

Can't win can I? There's been a long debate on this broad topic running under New Subjects, which just clogs that up. The purpose of New Subjects is to raise new topics, not to conduct continued debate. If you want a debate about anything else, you can always suggest it as a new subject.

23/5/12 12:03 pm
The Postman said...

Following comments transferred from New subject to this thread..

I had to wait for 55 minutes at the Mowlem Restaurant in Swanage before it was taken over by Sea Salt and 70 minutes at the Castle Inn at Corfe Castle. The Mowlem did not warn me about the delay. I had ordered the meal at 13:00 and was due to go to a Swanage Railway meeting at 14:00 and they refused to give me a refund. The owner of Castle Inn took my money and told me there would be a delay afterwards. I had just been for a meeting at the village hall and I just wanted a light meal before going home. A local said he was a good businessman as I would not have ordered the meal if he had told me first. It was several years before I returned to the Mowlem and I have not visited the Castle Inn since. A woman complained recently to Trip Advisor about being kept waiting for 70 minutes at the Greyhound at Corfe Castle. The manageress of the Greyhound wants the woman to visit the Inn again. The pubs in Swanage usually give good service.

21/5/12 4:49 PM
Anonymous said...
I've not eaten in many places locally lately but I did go to the Village Inn just before Christmas and since they had a refurb and new menu this year. Excellent both times and the staff are good too.

Chilled Red is also very good.

Ocean Bay is fine if someone else is picking up the bill but its all a bit over priced if you're paying yourself.

21/5/12 6:14 PM
Anonymous said...
"Are the Swanage Railway Wessex Belle and Birds Nest catering services competing unfairly ... by using volunteer labour" No, catering is one department of the railway that, I believe, depends on paid staff to operate the core service. Volunteers help out on many occasions, but the outlets still have significant staffing costs to cover. Anyway, compare prices and you will see that the railway isn't trying to compete on price. As for refurbishment, yes the Bird's Nest was refurbished; arguably it should have been done a lot sooner. It had to cost-justify the work but in any case, much of the work was essential simply to keep the weather out!
You could argue that other outlets compete "unfairly" because they have a sea view, or have parking nearby... isn't competition a healthy thing anyway?

21/5/12 8:36 PM
Anonymous said...
Odd that nobody has mentioned the unfair cost advantage conferred by ignoring planning permission and building regulations by another establishment. The Swanage Railway is high on the list of reasons for people coming here so any establishments that feel its catering puts them at a disadvantage may well find that overall it increases the number of customers they have since scarcely anyone will eat at the railway every day they are here.

22/5/12 10:48 AM

23/5/12 12:07 pm
Anonymous said...

One could argue that the national catering chains who have outlets in Swanage have an unfair advantage, with their huge advertising budgets, benefits of economies of scale, and ability to offer low priced deals. With few exceptions, Swanage fails to offer a pleasant eating experience, in terms of quality of ingredients, cooking and presentation skills, service, and ambience. There may be a place for Greasy Spoon Chic, but it is time that catering establishments, apart from, as I have already said, a few places, started to raise their game.

25/5/12 9:14 am
Anonymous said...

What incentive do they have to "raise their game"? How does this translate into higher profits in a seaside resort where the majority of customers know nothing of the level of service and catering to expect in any given establishment. In such a situation the mediocre thrives and there is a downward spiral. There are exceptions but how does anyone find out which they are?

25/5/12 10:24 am
Anonymous said...

It is perhaps mediocrity that has allowed two of the national catering chains to gain a foothold in Swanage. If it continues, then expect more to follow. In these places, I would suggest, the majority of customers know exactly what level of catering and service to expect. It is, perhaps never wise to underestimate customer perception. There are some very talented cooks in Swanage. What is it that is preventing them from realising their full potential?

25/5/12 4:04 pm
Anonymous said...

What is it that is preventing them from realising their full potential?

Some of them are. Plenty of places for a good meal in town.

27/5/12 3:02 pm
David Furmage said...

I would say wages Could do with being better.

27/5/12 5:04 pm
Anonymous said...

How would you know what all these people are being paid David?

28/5/12 11:24 am
David Furmage said...

Well seeing as I know most of the chefs in swanage , let's just say wages could be better , though it's always been crap wages in the catering industry:(

28/5/12 9:41 pm
Anonymous said...

Two factors prevent ambitious, high end chefs from establishing a restaurant in Swanage:

-Swanage is too remote (and ferry times limit late night dining) from the honeypots of Poole and Bournemouth;

-Swanage (like every seaside tourist town) does well in the high season and most weekends, but trade virtually stops at other times. Such restaurants need consistent patronage to survive.

Hence, cheap and cheerful eateries and national chains are better suited for Swanage. I do not need to prove my points. They are amply proven by the lack of any top class restaurant, one worthy of, say, a Michelin star.

30/5/12 8:24 am
David Furmage said...

So let Burger King or Mac Donalds take over the Mowlem , burger and film what more could you want;)

30/5/12 4:53 pm
Anonymous said...

I would say ambitious and high end aren't the same thing, or don't have to be.

You can be highly ambitious without being a high end restaurant.

31/5/12 5:27 pm

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